


A Night to Remember

by BenAndMatthew



Category: Original Work
Genre: Belly Kink, Belly Rubs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Seasickness, Stomach Ache
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 06:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14396127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BenAndMatthew/pseuds/BenAndMatthew
Summary: Ben and Matthew go on their first date. Things don't go according to plan.





	A Night to Remember

**Author's Note:**

> Be part of Ben and Matthew's first date!

Matthew rubs his cold hands and blows a breath of warm air in his closed fists. It’s freezing outside with temperatures well below zero. Why in god’s name he didn’t think about bringing a pair of gloves is beyond him. At least he was smart enough to put on his thickest coat and a scarf. He just hopes that there won’t be too much time spent outside. He’d prefer a cozy restaurant or café where the threat of getting frostbite isn’t so high.

Reaching into his pocket with numb fingers, he pulls out his phone and checks the time. It’s a quarter to six, which means that his date is running fifteen minutes late already. Matthew looks around, wondering if he’s waiting in the right spot. He checks the street name and then the house number of the building behind him. Everything’s correct.

He’s just about to call Ben, the guy he met at his best friend Aline's birthday party last weekend, when he spots the familiar blond head in the crowd walking towards him. He sticks his phone back in his pocket and buries his icy hands in them as well.

“I’m _so_ sorry I’ve kept you waiting,” Ben pants as soon as he’s close enough. He’s completely out of breath and his cheeks and the tip of his nose are bright red. Matthew bites back a smirk. Despite the fact that being late is one of his biggest pet peeves, he thinks he’ll be able to forgive Ben. Not least because he looks incredibly cute all flustered and guilty.

“Don’t worry about it,” Matthew replies and grins down at the shorter man. “Did you _run_ here?”

Ben blushes and rubs the back of his neck. “My bus got stuck in traffic so I figured I’d be faster by foot. I got off and walked the rest of the way,” he explains and waves his hand down the street he’s come from. “Was further than I expected it to be.”

Matthew nods in understanding. That would explain the delay and also the breathlessness. “You could make it up to me by telling me what you’ve got planned for today,” he changes the subject with a lopsided smirk and shoves his hands deeper into the pockets of his coat.

Ben smirks and shakes his head. “Nope, not yet. I told you it’s a surprise.”

“You’re _still_ not telling me?” Matthew laughs and raises his eyebrows. “It must be something really special then.”

“It is,” Ben confirms with a playful smirk. “And it’s just down that street.”

Turning, Matthew looks over his shoulder. He can’t see anything besides the buildings and a lot of traffic. And he’s not in the city enough to know his way around here. He turns back to Ben. “Why don’t you lead the way then?”

“With pleasure,” Ben replies and hooks his arm through Matthew’s. Despite this only being their first date, the close contact feels right and Matthew can’t deny the tiny butterflies that flutter in his stomach. He can’t wait to learn more about the good-looking, blue-eyed man.

 

Five minutes later, the euphoria has dwindled drastically. Squinting at the 150 feet long boat that’s docked before them, Matthew swallows. He hasn’t been on a boat in _years_ , but he can still remember the last time he’s set foot on one. To say it hadn’t ended pretty is an understatement…

“So, what do you think?”

Matthew suddenly remembers that he isn’t alone and that he’s, in fact, on a _date_. He shakes off the unpleasant memories he managed to suppress until now and forces a smile on his lips. “It’s a boat.”

Ben huffs out an amused breath. “Well done, Sherlock. But it’s not just any boat. It’s a boat that serves a delicious dinner in addition to a beautiful cruise on the lake!”

Matthew can hear the delight in Ben’s voice and he wishes he could share it. Unfortunately, the tight ball of unease that sits deep in his gut is stopping him from feeling any kind of excitement. He licks his dry lips.

“You don’t like it?”

Flinching at the disappointment in Ben’s voice, Matthew turns his head to look at his date. “No, it’s not that. I do like it! It’s really sweet,” he says, trying to find the right words.

“Then what’s the problem?” Ben probes with a shrug.

The logical part of his brain is advising Matthew to tell Ben the truth. To just tell him the reason why he’s so hesitant to board the boat. Meanwhile, the other part of his brain is ordering him to just suck it up and appreciate Ben’s sweet surprise.

The latter wins.

“Nothing. Everything’s fine,” he replies and smiles. “Shall we?”

“Sure,” Ben agrees, drawing out the word. He looks a bit skeptical and Matthew tries to school his features into an expression that looks _less_ like he’s about to be led to his execution. He’s not really certain he succeeds.

 

Boarding the ship isn’t as bad as expected and Matthew’s relieved when he can’t even feel a difference between being on solid ground and being on the boat. Maybe this evening will be a winner after all.

After showing their tickets to the staff, an elderly lady leads them to their table. They bypass a couple of other guest before they stop in front of a nicely decorated table. The white tablecloth and elegant cloth napkins make everything look real fancy. And the beautiful bouquet of red roses that sits in the middle of the table gives everything a nice, romantic touch.

“You really went all out,” Matthew chuckles as he takes the glass of complimentary champagne the lady offers him.

“Too much?” Ben asks, sounding unsure of himself. It’s adorable.

“No, no. It’s perfect,” Matthew replies and lifts his glass. “To a nice evening.”

Ben mirrors him. “To a nice evening,” he repeats and they clink their glasses together.

For the next twenty minutes, they get to know each other and talk about everything under the sun. Matthew instantly feels a connection between the two of them and if the sparkle in Ben’s beautiful blue eyes is anything to go by, then he would say the feeling is mutual.

 

They’re in the midst of talking about their jobs when the appetizer is served. Matthew’s mouth waters when the server puts a plate of prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe down in front of him. “This looks delicious,” he says and picks up his fork.

“It better _tastes_ delicious as well,” Ben adds before putting a cube in his mouth.

Matthew follows suit. The sweetness of the cantaloupe and the slightly salty taste of the prosciutto complement each other perfectly. It tastes divine.

Soon, the appetizers are gone and a juicy steak with a side of fresh string beans and mashed potatoes replaces their empty plates. The meat is cooked to perfection and Matthew and Ben can’t stop talking about how delicious everything is. They pair the main course with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, which enhances their flirty mood even further.

It’s not until the server has cleared their table once more and Ben excused himself to go to the bathroom that Matthew realizes that they’ve entered choppier waters. He looks out the window and despite the darkness, he can see the churning waves. Suddenly, he becomes aware of the constant up and down motion of the boat. His stomach lurches.

 _Shit_.

Matthew tries to breath through the familiar flare of queasiness and takes a sip of water. He’s made it this far already; he’s not going to get seasick _now_.

Ben returns a minute later and sits back down. He picks up the wine bottle and nods towards Matthew’s glass. “You want some more red wine?”

“No, thank you. You take the rest,” Matthew answers and forces a smile on his lips. He watches Ben pour the last few sips in his own glass and his stomach roils unhappily. The two glasses he’s had with dinner are now sloshing uncomfortably in his belly. His stomach gurgles.

Matthew is just about to excuse himself to the bathroom, when their server returns. She’s carrying a large plate of what looks like a generous piece of chocolate cake with two scoops of ice cream. Horrified, he watches her set it down between them.

Ben reaches out and puts his hand on top of Matthew’s. “I ordered their special chocolate cake for dessert. I hope you like it.”

Swallowing past the sickly lump in the back of his throat, Matthew intertwines their fingers. “It’s great,” he says, even though the growing nausea in his stomach is everything _but_ great.

“Dig in then,” Ben grins and hands him a dessert fork.

Matthew’s stomach gurgles in warning. Yet, he finds himself putting a bite of the cake in his mouth. The chocolate tastes rich and on any other day, he would enjoy this. Not now, though. He swallows with difficulty and the cake settles like a rock in the pit of his unsettled stomach.

“Good?” Ben asks around a mouthful of cake.

Matthew nods and shoves another forkful of dessert in his mouth. He manages five more bites before his stomach gives another lurch and he feels some of the food rush back up his esophagus. He hastily swallows it back down. He’s done. He can’t anymore.

“I’ll be right back,” he mutters and quickly pushes to his feet. A feeling of lightheadedness hits him when he’s upright and he almost trips. His stomach protests the jerky movement and gurgles warningly. As fast as his unsteady legs allow, he walks across the dining area and into the narrow hallway. He stumbles over to the glass sliding doors that lead out to the main deck and staggers outside.

Cold, fresh air hits him and he gulps down a breath. Thankfully, he seems to be the only person out here. Leaning against the railing, he drops his forehead onto his arms and sucks in breath after breath. He feels _so sick_.

His stomach quivers again and he gags into the crook of his elbow. Cold sweat breaks out all over his trembling body.

He has no idea how long he’s been hanging onto the railing, but it must have been a while. Because the doors behind him slide open again and he hears a familiar voice.

“Matt, are you okay?”

Matthew wants to reply, wants to tell Ben that everything’s okay. That he should just go back inside and enjoy the dessert. But all that comes out when he opens his mouth is another strangled gag.

“Whoa, hey. What’s wrong?”

A warm hand settles on his back and Matthew finds himself leaning into the touch. He doesn’t mean to, but he feels crappy enough to accept the offered comfort. His stomach burbles again and he curls in on himself with a groan.

“Matt, talk to me,” Ben urges as he wraps a strong arm around Matthew’s shoulders. “What’s going on?”

Matthew swallows back bile and squeezes his eyes shut. Even though the fresh air makes it easier to breathe, he can still feel the constant bobbing of the boat. “I’m not feeling so good,” he eventually admits and curls an arm around his middle. All the food he’s eaten is sitting uncomfortably in his gut now, making him feel sick and bloated.

Ben rubs his back. “Did you eat too much?”

“No,” Matthew mutters. “Seasick.”

The hand on his back stills. “Hold on. I don’t think I’ve heard you right. Did you just say you get _seasick_?”

Matthew groans. “Yeah…”

“You gotta be kidding me!” Ben shouts. “Why didn’t you _say_ something?!”

Lifting his head off his arm, Matthew squints at Ben. It’s almost completely dark, except for a dim lantern a few feet away from where they’re standing. But the faint light is enough for Matthew to see Ben’s eyes. He can see a mix of disappointment, annoyance and… guilt?

He heaves in a breath. “It’s our first date. Wanted it to be perfect.”

Ben waves the hand that’s not wrapped around Matthew’s back around. “Just so you know; this, you being seasick is neither perfect nor romantic! You should have _said_ something!”

“I’m so—“ Matthew’s apology is cut short when his stomach unexpectedly caves inwards and forces his dinner back up. He tries to swallow it back down, but he’s not fast enough to keep it all in. Lurching forward, he vomits a mouthful of barely digested chocolate cake into the churning waters below.

Ben curses and tightens his arm around Matthew’s heaving shoulders. “We’ll talk about your stupidity later,” he snaps. However, the gentleness with which he rubs Matthew’s back belies the harshness of his words. “Just let it out.”

But Matthew’s not ready to give into his body’s demand just yet. This isn’t how he thought their first date would go. It’s absolutely and utterly humiliating!

“Come on, Matt,” Ben urges quietly into his ear.

Matthew gags again but nothing comes up. His stomach is churning and hurting with the dire need to expel the foods he’s eaten. The more time passes, the more nauseous he feels.

“Matt…”

Matthew tenses when Ben’s free hand suddenly starts fumbling with the buttons of his suit jacket. He tries to shift way, but Ben’s strong arm keeps him firmly in place.

“What are you doing?” Matthew asks, torn between wanting to free himself from the hold and melt into it.

“I’m making you feel better, you stubborn idiot,” Ben sighs in response and Matthew jumps a bit when Ben’s hand brushes against his rolling stomach. “Just relax.” The warm hand rubs over his belly in soothing circles. Every now and then, Ben pushes down just the tiniest bit.

The pressure makes Matthew heave again and another gush of vomit splashes into the water. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he feels a small bit better with each time he throws up. Maybe Ben’s right. Maybe he really does need to get everything out of his system to feel better.

With that in mind, he stops fighting his body’s natural reflexes. He relaxes his abdominal muscles and lets his body take over.

The next wave of vomit is much more intense than the first two. The heaving won’t stop until every last morsel of food is out of his body. Coughing and gagging, Matthew hangs onto the railing for what feels like an eternity. Ben never leaves his side.

When he finally feels like there’s nothing left to come up, Matthew blows out a shaky breath. “Done?” Ben asks quietly as he brushes a strand of sweat soaked brown hair away from Matthew’s forehead.

Matthew nods. “Yeah,” he croaks and allows Ben to guide him over to a bench. He sinks down and drops his head back against the side of the boat. He’s exhausted.

“How does your stomach feel?” Ben wants to know.

Matthew considers the question. The heavy feeling he had before due to a lot of food and nausea is gone, but he can feel some gurgles deep in his belly. But, all in all, he feels better. “I’m okay,” he replies and then sighs. “I’m sorry for ruining our first date…”

Ben chuckles and wraps his arm around Matthew’s shoulders. “You didn’t ruin anything. Look at it this way; I’ll never forget our first date. One day, we’ll laugh about this.”

Matthew tiredly rolls his head toward Ben. “Does that mean you’ll go out with me again?”

“Only if it’s not on a boat,” he laughs.

Groaning, Matthew rubs his sore stomach. “Fine by me.”

“It’s a date then,” Ben confirms and Matthew feels Ben’s lips brush against his sweaty temple. “Try to relax. We’re almost back at the pier.

Matthew nods and closes his eyes. He drops his head to Ben’s shoulder and breathes in the fresh, crisp air. Maybe this date wasn’t that bad after all…


End file.
